S.F. should support Bradley Manning

As much as Pfc. Bradley Manning (center) is subject to an Army court martial for the alleged release of classified documents, it's really the conscience of all whistle-blowers that's on trial.

As much as Pfc. Bradley Manning (center) is subject to an Army...

Amid the ongoing controversy over whether Pfc. Bradley Manning should be honored at this year's SF Pride celebration, Bradley Manning himself in some ways has gotten lost. Manning is a personal hero of mine for his actions, and I would have been proud to represent him as grand marshal in the Pride Parade. If he is not reinstated as grand marshal, I will be marching in the Support Bradley Manning contingent in the parade and hope to see many other veterans and others in that tribute.

This occasion, thankfully, has led to discussion of Manning, the classified evidence he revealed through WikiLeaks, and the morality of that disclosure. However, these conversations often treat Manning as a symbol instead of a person. In reality, whether or not Manning is reinstated as a grand marshal, he will not be attending Pride this June. Manning will be on trial in Fort Meade, Md., facing charges that could keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

It's true that the trial to decide Manning's fate is inflated with issues much bigger than himself - also on trial is the future of conscience. Forty years ago, I became the first whistle-blowers prosecuted under U.S. law for disclosing the classified Pentagon Papers. Now, in just six years, the Obama administration has sought the prosecution of more whistle-blowers than in the rest of American history combined.

When I revealed the Pentagon Papers in 1971, it was because I had access to information that Congress and the American people needed to know: evidence of presidential wrongdoing in Vietnam and of the lies that began that war.

Manning, similarly, had access to videos and evidence of American war crimes that he felt rightly should be made public. A military and a government dedicated to upholding justice and democracy on a global scale must not use secrecy to hide from their own crimes. Whistle-blowing is an institution uniquely capable of putting these powers in check.

Manning's revelation of U.S. Department of State cables describing American atrocities that had been publicly denied and not prosecuted by the United States made it politically impossible for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to grant immunity from Iraqi prosecution to the thousands of American troops that President Obama was negotiating to keep in Iraq beyond the deadline agreed to by President George W. Bush. Without that immunity, Obama, against his wishes, was compelled to remove all U.S. combat units by the deadline.

Contrary to the false suggestion by the SF Pride Board in its initial statement that Manning's actions put American troops in harm's way, in reality, not a single American life was harmed or even endangered by his actions. Without Manning's act of conscience, at least 10,000 and perhaps many more American troops would still be in harm's way in Iraq at this moment, and no small number of them would have died by now.

Manning made a profoundly important moral decision. I believe history will honor Manning. But Manning the person - the young soldier facing trial next month - needs the support of this community right now, or he may spend the rest of his long life in prison.

After publishing the Pentagon Papers, I faced a possible life sentence, much as Manning does today. I was able to pursue a long trial to the point of seeing government misconduct against me revealed, leading to dismissal of charges, thanks to my tireless supporters - many of whom were here in the San Francisco Bay Area. While high government officials called me "traitor" - as many misguided persons say of Manning now - the advocacy of my supporters helped shift public opinion for the better.

I hope to see this city, which has stood so often for peace and tolerance, lend this same support to Manning. This is the importance that this city, and SF Pride, brings to the life of this young soldier and the future of our country.

As a former military serviceman, whistle-blowers and fellow American, I am proud to have these things in common with Bradley Manning. The uproar in support of Manning's reinstatement as grand marshal, to me, demonstrates how many in the LGBT community feel that same pride. With our help, this courageous young man's life can be saved.

Daniel Ellsberg is a former U.S. Marine and military analyst who in 1971 released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study about the Vietnam War, to the New York Times and 18 other papers. Ellsberg is a member of the Bradley Manning Support Network Advisory Board and resides in the East Bay.